A particle beam system, which includes two particle beam columns, the particle beams of which can be directed onto a common working region on an object, is traditionally used for structuring the object. Here, a particle beam, for example an ion beam or an electron beam, is used to form the structures on the object, while the other particle beam, for example an electron beam of an electron beam microscope, is used to monitor the process of structuring the object. The object is structured by way of depositing material on the object or by removing material from the object by way of directing the particle beam used for this purpose at a multiplicity of sites of the object. Depositing of material on the object and removing material from the object can be assisted by way of supplying a process gas. One example of a process in which an ion beam is used for structuring an object is the production of what is known as a TEM lamella, i.e. cutting a sample suitable for examination with a transmission electron microscope out of a substrate, such as for example a semiconductor wafer in production.
Such processes for structuring an object using a particle beam can take a few minutes, a few tens of minutes or even hours. During this time, drifts with respect to the sites at which the particle beam is incident on the object may occur, which influence the accuracy and reproducibility of the manufactured structures in a disadvantageous manner.
The drifts can also be caused by temperature changes or changes in the high voltage used during the operation of the particle beam column or the like.
Even if the process of structuring the object using a particle beam column is monitored by the other particle beam column and the process of structuring is performed in dependence on this monitoring, it is not possible to achieve the highest possible precision, because the locations of the two particle beam columns relative to one another is also subject to mechanical drift, and not all structures which are produced using the one particle beam column can be observed in optimum fashion by the other particle beam column because the particle beams which are generated by the two particle beam columns are incident on the object at different angles.